{"id":152351,"date":"2025-11-25T16:49:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/152351\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T16:49:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:49:09","slug":"heated-rivalry-is-already-the-social-medias-favorite-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/152351\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Already the Social Media’s Favorite Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWhile TikTok\u2019s algorithm caters to each user\u2019s obsession of the moment, it feels nearly impossible to be on the app without seeing at least one video about Crave<\/a> and HBO Max<\/a>\u2019s new gay hockey romance series, Heated Rivalry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe series, created for television by Letterkenny alum Jacob Tierney<\/a> and adapted from Rachel Reid\u2019s novel of the same name, centers around a fictional hockey universe. Heated Rivalry focuses on two rival professional hockey players \u2014 Canadian-born Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) of the fictitious Montreal Metros and Russian-born Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) of the fictitious Boston Raiders \u2014 as they navigate a years-long secret fling.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was a late-to-the-romance-genre person, I\u2019ll admit,\u201d Tierney told The Hollywood Reporter a little over a week before the show premieres Friday on Bell Media\u2019s streamer Crave. Until last week, the show had yet to find an international<\/a> home. However, shortly into this conversation, Tierney and his producing partner and fellow executive producer Brendan Brady shared that HBO Max acquired the show<\/a> in the U.S. and Australia.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI thought [the book Heated Rivalry] was great. I did not ever truthfully think I was going to adapt it, or that it was especially adaptable because of the level of smut to it,\u201d Tierney continues. Which is fair, considering Reid\u2019s prologue begins with and never really lets off the gas in that regard. But he called Brady after reading about the romance genre\u2019s popularity to tell him about his \u201ccrazy\u201d idea. \u201cI was like, \u2018If somebody else options this, I\u2019ll feel crazy because it\u2019s gay and hockey. That\u2019s me. I should be the [one to adapt the book],\u2019 and then we did,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tTierney and Brady always knew there was a built-in audience \u2014 a largely queer, largely female-skewing audience. The writer-director stresses that they knew the numbers were there, but because it\u2019s considered outside of the mainstream, it would take some explaining. \u201cWhen you explain it to people, [they don\u2019t get it]. They don\u2019t get that the audience is women either,\u201d he says of the book\u2019s core fanbase. \u201cWe were like, \u2018But these fans are really into it.\u2019 Then you make the thing and you\u2019re like, \u2018Fuck, I hope they are. I hope they respond to this because it\u2019s all alchemy. There\u2019s no math.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLuckily for the pair and Bell Media, the fans are really into it \u2014 and the show hasn\u2019t even officially aired yet. There\u2019s plenty of reasons why that might be, but Heated Rivalry\u2019s arguably perfect casting of its two leads in Williams\u2019 Shane and Storrie\u2019s Ilya likely has something to do with it.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe pair\u2019s chemistry is palpable in the trailer \u2014 released last month on Crave\u2019s accounts and last week on HBO Max\u2019s accounts \u2014 and that chemistry only increased tenfold in the sneak peek released last week. Not since Matthew Macfadyen\u2019s Mr. Darcy have we seen such intentional hand acting. <\/p>\n

\n\tBut as with any adaptation, there\u2019s always fear that the built-in fanbase won\u2019t see eye-to-eye with the show\u2019s creative decisions. \u201cI was scared for [Williams and Storrie]. I wasn\u2019t scared for them once people saw the show, but in the lead up \u2014 in general, people aren\u2019t nice \u2014 so I was very ready for people to [say] all kinds of stuff,\u201d Tierney says, pointing to criticisms that can come when an adapted character isn\u2019t exactly how fans imagine them.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe says they spoke with the two actors about the potential for backlash. \u201cWhat I knew is that, for me, they were perfect, and they were cast because of a chemistry read where we were all like, \u2018Holy shit,\u2019\u201d Tierney says. \u201cThis fanbase was so supportive from the beginning. It was a huge relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBrady adds that the cast and crew had been in a bit of bubble. \u201cWe also had the benefit [of] nobody knowing that this was really happening until after we had shot it,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe show\u2019s just over 90-second official trailer has spawned a genuinely impressive amount of TikTok edits considering the limited material to work with. After a search through dozens, some highlights include edits to The Maria\u2019s \u201cNo One Noticed,\u201d Tate McRae\u2019s \u201cSports Car,\u201d Billie Eilish and Charli XCX\u2019s \u201cGuess\u201d and Sabrina Carpenter\u2019s \u201cWhen Did You Get Hot?\u201d Tierney describes an edit he particularly liked to Olivia Rodrigo\u2019s \u201cGet Him Back.\u201d <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tWilliams as Shane Hollander (left) and Storrie as Ilya Rozanov (right) in Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Lantos\/HBO<\/p>\n

\n\tThe social media fanfare only seems to be growing as the show\u2019s premiere grows nearer. Tierney and Brady certainly feel pressure; they\u2019re not shying away from that. \u201cI\u2019m a fan. I love these books. I\u2019m not trying to fuck with them. I\u2019m not trying to change them,\u201d Tierney says plainly.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe wanted to live up to the expectations for the fans,\u201d Brady adds. The executive producer says the show has received so much \u201creinforcement\u201d over the last month since the trailer was released, leading to the show\u2019s eventual sale to HBO Max. \u201cThe fans\u2019 involvement in this experience has very much led to these amazing opportunities. It just feels like we\u2019ve had a really great time getting to help bring this [show] to a community that wants it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTierney notes that Shane and Ilya\u2019s story doesn\u2019t exactly follow your typical romance structure, but the writer-director wasn\u2019t looking to follow the same formula anyway. \u201cThis is what I told Rachel [Reid] \u2014 the thing I want to do with it is take it seriously, which is to say I don\u2019t want to do what I think a lot of people do when they look at adapting romance, which is simplify, truncate, shorten,\u201d he says. Adds Brady, \u201c[We] wanted to elevate this to the level that it deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tReid\u2019s novel, presumably the same as the series, takes place over seven years, beginning when Shane and Ilya are teenagers and taking them into their mid-20s. The timeline was a big reason why Tierney thought the story could work as six one-hour episodes. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis could actually sustain it because part of this [story] is that they\u2019re not together right away. They are people who meet up and fuck three times a year. Then suddenly they discover they can\u2019t shake each other,\u201d Tierney says. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe emotional resonance of that requires an accumulation of meaning that you can\u2019t fake,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt wants air. It wants to breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile the steamy nature of the story has likely helped fuel some of the social media love \u2014 some of these TikTok edits are, well, for lack of a better term, downright horny \u2014 it was also, as Tierney mentioned, a bit of an obstacle when it came to adapting. But the writer-director quickly found his footing. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat I loved about [the story] and why I did ultimately think it was adaptable is because sex is the language of their love. Sex is how you tell the story because their sex changes as they get to know each other, as they get to know themselves,\u201d Tierney says. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis thing grows and you watch them fall in love. They don\u2019t talk much. They fuck and they text, and that\u2019s kind of what they do, which feels very contemporary and real too,\u201d he continues. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tHudson Williams and Connor Storrie in Heated Rivalry.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Lantos\/HBO<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the show prepares for its release \u2014 Heated Rivalry will air in Canada and in the U.S. simultaneously \u2014 Tierney and Brady are ready for fans to jump into the world of Shane and Ilya. \u201cCome for the smuttiness, stay for the romance,\u201d Tierney jokes. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat\u2019s funny about episodes one and two is they are the setup episodes. There\u2019s sex all the way through; I\u2019m not going to pretend there\u2019s not, but they\u2019re kind of, in a way, the most horny or whatever,\u201d he adds. The writer-director notes that the sweetness and the romance, much like in Reid\u2019s novel, sets in as the story goes on.<\/p>\n

\n\tTierney promises to keep it spoiler free \u2014 as spoiler free as one can get for a story that by all indications seems to be a faithful adaptation of its source material \u2014 but is excited to see how people react to the show\u2019s overall message. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe thing that we really don\u2019t get as queer people is a happy fucking ending, where we\u2019re allowed to exist, fuck and smile at the same time. Usually it\u2019s like, pick one,\u201d he laments. \u201cYou get to have it all in this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHeated Rivalry\u2018s two-episode premiere releases Friday on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the U.S. and Australia, with new episodes dropping weekly on Fridays. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While TikTok\u2019s algorithm caters to each user\u2019s obsession of the moment, it feels nearly impossible to be on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[53560,146,6729,92651,85,399,46],"class_list":{"0":"post-152351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-crave","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-hbo-max","11":"tag-heated-rivalry","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-international","14":"tag-israel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}